The air in Orochimaru's hidden Sound laboratory tasted of damp stone, sterile chemicals, and something far older – the dry, mineral scent of ancient bone dust. Naruto lay suspended not on a medical cot, but within a cylindrical containment chamber of reinforced, chakra-dampening glass. Thick, viscous green fluid, humming with potent regenerative enzymes and bio-stabilizers, surrounded him, its cool embrace a stark contrast to the firestorm raging beneath his skin. Intravenous lines snaked from ports in the chamber walls, feeding a complex cocktail of nutrients, chakra suppressants tailored to Kaguya-cell resonance, and something else – a shimmering silver solution Orochimaru called "Catalyst-7." Monitors flickered outside, displaying scrolling data streams of his vitals, chakra fluctuations, and the terrifyingly active bio-signature of the invasive flecks.
Orochimaru observed from a control console, his golden eyes gleaming with rapt fascination. Kabuto stood beside him, adjusting dials with meticulous precision. "Assimilation rate stabilizing at 18.7%, Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto murmured. "Catalyst-7 is suppressing the rejection cascade effectively. The Rinnegan resonance… it's acting as an unexpected regulator, focusing the cellular integration."
"Fascinating," Orochimaru breathed, his voice a sibilant whisper. He tapped a screen displaying a real-time microscopic view of Naruto's tissue at the sealed wound site. The bone-white flecks were no longer jagged shards, but smoother, more integrated structures, branching like delicate, alien coral reefs within his muscle fibers. Tiny filaments of pure white chakra pulsed along their surfaces, connecting them to his nervous system and chakra pathways. "The vessel adapts. Not resisting, but… *channeling*. The Uzumaki vitality, the Rinnegan's authority, Kaguya's legacy… a forced symbiosis under duress. Pain is the crucible, Naruto-kun. Embrace it."
Inside the tank, Naruto floated, eyes closed. He wasn't asleep. He was submerged in a different kind of agony. The physical pain from the integration was a constant, grinding ache, deep in his bones. But worse was the sensory overload. The Rinnegan, unshielded by Kurama's familiar presence, drank in the laboratory's minutiae with terrifying clarity: the hum of machinery translated into complex harmonics, the chemical composition of the fluid around him parsed molecule by molecule, the predatory intent radiating from Orochimaru like heat from a forge. And beneath it all, a new layer: the *whispers*.
Not voices, not quite. More like resonant frequencies emanating from the integrated flecks. They pulsed with the cold rhythm of ancient stone, carrying fragmented sensations: crushing pressure, vast emptiness, a hunger older than time. Whispers of the Rabbit Goddess's tomb, of the void between stars. They echoed the Rinnegan's own alien hum, creating a dissonant symphony inside his skull. It threatened to unravel his focus, to drown him in the sheer, alien *otherness* invading his being.
*Focus.* The command was a desperate anchor. He visualized the cold core within him, the icy engine of vengeance that had carried him back through time. He forced the whispers down, channeled the sensory storm into the singular purpose: *Survive. Adapt. Destroy the Otsutsuki.*
A chime sounded on Orochimaru's console. He glanced at a secondary monitor displaying coded messages. A thin, pleased smile touched his lips. "Ah. Our window approaches. The Three-Tails stirs off the coast of Water Country. Mizukage Yagura's grip weakens… and certain… *interested parties* are preparing to make their move." His gaze slid back to Naruto, predatory and expectant. "Time for a field test, vessel. Time to see if your new… gifts… can hunt."
---
The mist clung to Kirigakure's jagged coastline like a shroud, thick, cold, and smelling of salt and decaying seaweed. Naruto stood on a rocky outcrop overlooking a choppy, grey sea, cloaked in a simple, dark grey shinobi outfit provided by Orochimaru – devoid of Konoha insignia. Beside him stood Kabuto, adjusting his glasses, his expression unreadable. Two of Orochimaru's elite Sound shinobi, faces masked, flanked them.
Naruto felt… different. The bone-deep ache was a constant thrum, a baseline of discomfort. The whispers from the integrated flecks were a low, unsettling hum beneath his thoughts. But the Catalyst-7 infusion had dampened the worst of the rejection, and the forced symbiosis had granted a terrifying new kind of stability. His senses, amplified by the Rinnegan and now strangely augmented by the Kaguya-cells, painted the world in hyper-detail. He could *taste* the chakra signatures miles away – the slumbering behemoth beneath the waves, the disciplined patrols of Mist ANBU, the furtive, oily presence of another group approaching from the north. Akatsuki. Or rather, the remnants loyal to Obito.
"Target is submerged approximately two kilometers northeast," Kabuto stated, pointing towards a seemingly empty stretch of turbulent water. "Yagura is aboard a heavily fortified command vessel disguised as a fishing trawler, codename 'Karasu'. He is guarded by seven Mist ANBU, Jonin-level, specializing in aquatic combat and sensory disruption. Our intel suggests Akatsuki forces will strike within the hour to extract the Three-Tails." He handed Naruto a small, bone-white earpiece. "Orochimaru-sama's frequency. Minimal communication. Retrieve the vessel's core data scroll and, if possible, a viable tissue sample from Yagura. Avoid direct confrontation with Akatsuki unless necessary. Your primary objective is assessment and retrieval."
Naruto took the earpiece, his Rinnegan scanning the mist-shrouded sea. He saw it now – the faint, massive chakra signature deep below, restless and powerful. The Three-Tails. Isobu. He saw the layered genjutsu masking the 'fishing trawler' – a complex, water-mirror illusion that would fool most sensors. He saw the approaching Akatsuki signatures – three, moving with unnerving silence over the water's surface. One burned with a familiar, cold Sharingan presence. Obito.
"Understood," Naruto rasped, his voice sounding alien even to himself, roughened by the tank fluids and the internal changes. He didn't wait for further orders. He stepped off the rocky ledge, plummeting towards the churning grey water below.
The impact was jarringly cold. The Rinnegan adjusted instantly, piercing the murk with perfect clarity. He propelled himself forward not with frantic strokes, but with smooth, powerful kicks, his movements unnaturally efficient, guided by the integrated knowledge of the flecks whispering of currents and pressure. He bypassed the Mist patrols effortlessly, their sensory nets sliding over him like water off stone – the Rinnegan's ability to mask presence augmented by the alien nature of his own chakra signature.
He approached the 'Karasu' from below. The genjutsu was masterful, but to the Rinnegan, it was a shimmering veil. He saw the true vessel – a sleek, armored gunboat bristling with chakra cannons. Placing a hand against the hull, he focused.
**Shinra Tensei: Micro-Repulse – Resonance Frequency.**
Not a destructive blast. A pinpoint vibration, tuned to the specific harmonic resonance of the ship's chakra shielding generator. A deep *thrum* pulsed through the metal. The layered genjutsu flickered and died, revealing the true vessel. Simultaneously, the chakra cannons sputtered and went dark, their power cores disrupted. Alarms blared underwater, muted and frantic.
Naruto shot upwards, breaching the surface near the aft deck like a specter. Two Mist ANBU, reacting with impressive speed, lunged at him, water whips coalescing in their hands. Naruto didn't slow. He raised a hand.
**Intrinsic Armament: Bone Spikes.**
Twin projectiles, needle-sharp and gleaming white, erupted from his palm with the speed of senbon. They punched through the water whips and the ANBU's throat guards with wet *thunks*. The men collapsed, choking silently, dark blood blooming in the seawater. Naruto landed lightly on the deck, water streaming from his clothes, his Rinnegan sweeping the chaos.
He found Yagura quickly. The Mizukage stood near the bridge, flanked by his remaining guards. He was young, but his eyes… they were wrong. Not the sharp, calculating gaze of a Kage, but glazed, unfocused, swirling with the distinctive pattern of a powerful Sharingan genjutsu. Obito's work. The Three-Tails' chakra within him churned violently, reacting to the intrusion and the sudden attack.
"Protect the Mizukage!" a Jonin barked, unleashing a torrent of high-pressure water blades.
Naruto flowed through them, the Rinnegan predicting their paths effortlessly. He closed the distance. A guard interposed himself, kunai flashing. Naruto's hand shot out, not to block, but to grasp the man's forearm.
**Preta Path: Partial Absorption.**
The guard screamed as his chakra was violently ripped from him, collapsing bonelessly. Naruto absorbed just enough to counter the drain from the Rinnegan's activation, a cold, efficient transaction. He stepped past the falling body towards Yagura.
The remaining guards hesitated, terror warring with duty as they faced the silent, bone-wielding specter with the swirling violet eyes. Yagura himself seemed to stir slightly, the glazed look flickering with a spark of trapped awareness, of profound confusion and fear. His lips moved soundlessly: *"Help... me..."*
Before Naruto could reach him, the air *ripped*.
A swirling vortex of darkness appeared on the deck between Naruto and Yagura. Obito stepped through, his orange mask impassive, his lone Sharingan fixed on Naruto with cold, analytical intensity. He didn't seem surprised.
"So," Obito's distorted voice echoed over the alarms and the sea's roar. "The Kyuubi brat returns… wearing dead Nagato's eyes. And smelling… different. Tainted." His gaze flickered to Naruto's chest, as if sensing the Kaguya-cells. "Orochimaru's handiwork, I assume? How… desperate." He raised a hand. "Yagura is Akatsuki property. Stand aside."
Behind Obito, two other figures emerged from Kamui – Kisame Hoshigaki, grinning savagely, Samehada already unsheathed and humming, and a cloaked figure radiating cold, controlled power – likely the real Pain's replacement.
Naruto didn't speak. He assessed. Obito: Kamui, intangible. Kisame: Massive chakra, Samehada absorption. Unknown: High threat potential. His mission was retrieval, not annihilation. But Obito stood between him and the data – and the tissue sample whispering its potential from the trapped Mizukage.
He met Obito's Sharingan gaze directly with the Rinnegan. The whispers of the bone flecks surged, resonating with the ancient power both he and Obito carried fragments of. The cold core within him hardened. He raised his hands, not in surrender, but in readiness. The bone-white flecks beneath his skin pulsed visibly, like captured stars.
The price of scales was about to be paid in the cold mist of Kiri. The vessel was ready to be tested.